I just experienced the same problem on my Limelight, Vanilla Strawberry and Pinky Winky this past week. Leaves look exactly like yours. They are newly planted so it's probably a combination of transplant shock and heat stress. I've been watering them daily via drip irrigation so they are definitely getting plenty of water. It's only happening on the leaves on the lowest part of the plant.

Same happening to mine its in just one section This trees 3rd year. So far we had a wet season. Should I cut whole branch out or just remove the leaves. Thank you

Paniculatas are well known to "show their feet" when they have heat stress in the summer months (they lose foliage near the bottom of the shrub) so some people even plant other smaller shrubbery in front to "hide their feet". ;o) Monitor the soil humidity all around the shrub more closely as spring ends and summer arrives. Make sure they have 3-4" of mulch to conserve soil moisture. Remember that they are in full sun many times but they are still hydrangeas.

My three limelight and one little limelight are all doing the same thing. I'm in WI zone 5. These are not new plants, they have been in the ground for one year or more. They were fine last year. I came on here to find out what it could be. All four of them are doing this and the Little Limelight is in a different area. I have plenty of mulch around them. I actually came on here to see if anyone knew what I could be doing wrong. They are facing East with a wood privacy fence four foot behind them. Thanks in advance for any info. btw, what does "showing their feet" mean?

@sharanann "Showing their feet" means the lower foliage drops off and the bottom is bare. One year is not really all that mature. You have to be patient when it comes to new plantings. Some things don't even come into their own for 3-5 years after planting. I find the most common problem is people overthink things, and maybe over-water and over-fertilize. When it comes to shrubs, there usually isn't much you have to do. Just get some organic fertilizer down in the spring, keep them mulched, and be patient. Water deeply and infrequently as well. Water more during drought, but if you're getting normal rainfall, sometimes you don't even need to water once they're well established. I find Limelights to be very low-maintenance shrubs, aside from spring pruning, which is just a once per year task, so not really a huge deal.

Great answer Mike! I am in zone 5b Wisconsin and have the LL hydrangnea tree form. It’s over 10 years old now. It’s a hardy tree. I only water when in drought and cut back in fall rather than Spring because heavy wet snow when the blooms are on, will break weaker limbs. Every few years I do a hard cut back, and it comes back stronger than ever. I think by late August, some yellowing or browning on some leaves is normal.

debra

I live in NC Piedmont zone 7, and one of two limelight bushes, newly planted in early summer, is yellowing. Both bushes have new growth and have done well until the last 2 weeks. Only one is yellowing - they are planted in the same area. I have composted and fertilized earlier and they are well watered. Why would only one be yellowing so quickly? What can I do?

Depends. Paniculatas tend to ”show their feet” during the summer by yellowing leaves near the crown or bottom center of the shrub. Lack of sufficient water can also yellow out foliage throughout throughout. Dormancy may also cause yellowing as the length of days is shorter since late June. New Limelights broke dormancy early this year so it would not surprise me to see them go dormant early this year only. Un-acclimated hydrangeas can yellow out foliage in direct contact with the sun while leaving inner, shaded foliage dark green. The size of one plant’s root system is probably larger and able to better cope with harsh environmental conditions.